Raven was the first to touch the ground.
The cold air immediately slapped his face, piercing him to the bone. He paused for a moment, staring at the unfamiliar scene before him: a vast expanse of grass, tall trees disappearing behind the fog, and a silence that felt... unnatural.
In the distance, he could see a group of instructors and several other students from the first bus who had already gotten off. They looked confused, some discussing, others pacing back and forth as if searching for a signal.
One by one, the students from the second bus began to follow Raven. The sound of footsteps could be heard on the slightly damp ground. And as usual, comments began to fly.
"Hey... where are we?"
"Wow... the view is crazy."
"Brrrr... it's so cold!"
"Hey, the network is down? Why is there no signal at all?"
"It's crazy, but the air is so fresh..."
Not far from where Raven stood frozen with a blank stare looking into the fog, Hana, who saw this, finally walked over to Raven, who was standing frozen, staring intently at the foggy forest. His face was still pale, his eyes seeming to be thinking about something else.
"Raven... are you okay?" Hana's voice was almost a whisper, full of concern.
Raven didn't answer.
"Hey, bro... what was that about earlier? You're okay now, right?" Kyle patted Raven's shoulder gently.
Still... no response.
Karin sighed deeply, then muttered irritably, "What's wrong with this kid?"
"Even when this idiot asks him, he doesn't answer," Lisa replied, her eyes glancing at Kyle with a crooked smile.
Kyle snorted. "Yeah, yeah, you know-it-all bookworm," he retorted mockingly.
"Oh my gosh, you two are at it again…" Karin sighed, half annoyed.
Raven heard everything, but it was as if their voices were just distant echoes in her head. She couldn't focus. Because the moment her feet touched the ground, something inside her trembled.
Déjà vu.
The air, the smell of the soil, the hanging fog, everything was too familiar. It was as if she had been here before. As if this was... her hometown.
In the midst of their tense conversation, Carl suddenly appeared, waving his hand.
"Hey, everyone!" he exclaimed.
Kyle immediately frowned. "What now, wibu?" he asked lazily, his voice flat but clearly annoyed.
Everyone turned to look at Carl, except for Raven, who remained silent.
"Why are you all so tense? Seriously, it's like you've just been through a war," said Carl with a big smile, trying to lighten the mood.
"If you want to joke around, it's not funny, Wibu," Kyle replied curtly.
"What's it to you, class clown?" Carl retorted, not to be outdone.
"Huh? You delusional jerk, just live in your two-dimensional world," Kyle replied quickly.
"Unlike you, your voice is like an alarm every morning," Carl retorted, his tone flat but cutting.
"Can't you two just be quiet for one day, idiots!" Lisa snapped in a high-pitched voice, annoyed by their petty argument.
"Seriously, you guys are giving me a headache. We're thinking about Raven's condition, and you're arguing like little kids!" added Karin, glaring at them.
Meanwhile, Hana didn't move. Her gaze remained fixed on Raven, who stood stiffly as if she hadn't heard anything. Hana's face was full of concern, as if she wanted to know what was on her mind.
Carl, who noticed the tension, approached Kyle and whispered, "What's wrong with Raven?"
Kyle snorted in annoyance. "It's a long story."
Carl scratched his head. "Eh, but... I heard someone screaming on your bus, like someone possessed. Who was it? Because the kids on the first bus were talking about it."
Suddenly, the atmosphere became silent. Raven's friends stared at Carl with sharp gazes.
Carl blinked in confusion. "What... did I say something wrong?" he muttered softly.
Lisa approached, signaling with her eyes, then glanced at Raven. Carl followed her gaze and immediately broke out in a cold sweat.
"Oh... oh... her? Okay... I get it..." he whispered, quickly changing the subject.
"Umm, yeah... by the way, don't you guys think this is weird?" Carl raised his eyebrows, his voice half-joking. "The situation is like... the isekai manga I often read. Another world, guys!"
"Heh, stop talking nonsense!" Lisa cut him off quickly, her voice full of annoyance.
"Seriously! I think we're in an isekai!" Carl insisted, his eyes sparkling slightly.
"Well, I agree," Kyle said casually with a grin, causing Lisa to glare at him.
"Kyle! Don't be stupid!" she exclaimed.
"Stop talking nonsense. We'd better ask the counselors," Karin said firmly, trying to control the situation. However, deep down, she couldn't shake her uneasiness.
The grassland around them stretched out vast and silent, with no signs of a city, houses, or even a major road. Thick fog slowly crept in the distance, adding to the strange atmosphere that weighed heavily on her chest. And the way the mentors had whispered with tense faces... made Karin uncomfortable.
He stared at them, trying to read their expressions, trying to find answers, but all he could find was the same confusion.
Suddenly, Raven moved. His steps were slow but sure, breaking the silence as he headed toward the mentors.
The movement silenced everyone. Hana reflexively wanted to call out to him, but her voice caught in her throat. They could only look at each other, tension creeping into the air.
What was Raven actually going to do now?
Raven stopped near the counselors who were gathered together. His eyes were fixed on the fog in the distance, where the counselors' gaze was also fixed, at the point where the bus driver had previously walked. Raven's breathing was heavy, his gaze sharp like someone who knew something others couldn't understand. The atmosphere around him instantly changed, feeling more tense, more heavy.
"Call the driver back," his voice was flat, but it was enough to make everyone turn their heads.
The counselors looked at him in surprise. One of them, William, frowned. "Raven, what do you mean? Just leave him alone. He just wants to ask for information from the people there."
Raven stared intently. "Call him..." His voice tightened. "I said call him now!"
"Hey, Raven—" William didn't get to finish his sentence.
Raven suddenly shouted at the top of her lungs.
"HEY! COME BACK! DON'T GO THERE!"
Her voice echoed, piercing the fog and silence. Everyone looked at her in shock, confused, some even startled by the desperation in her voice.
"Hey, enough, Raven! Why are you yelling like that?" William exclaimed, starting to lose his patience.
But Raven ignored him. Her gaze remained fixed on the faint silhouette in the distance. Her shoulders were tense, her fists clenched. There was something only she knew. She yelled again, louder, as if in despair.
"STOP HIM! IF YOU DON'T... HE WILL DIE!"
Silence. The atmosphere suddenly froze. Those words were like a bomb exploding in the air.
"What do you mean?" Mr. William's voice changed, there was a barely audible tremor of panic.
A number of counselors looked at each other, confused and uncertain.
"This kid... said someone will die? Is he crazy?" one of them said firmly.
"Isn't he... Raven? The kid who suddenly seemed possessed earlier?" whispered a student, who turned out to be Kevin from Raven's bus.
Whispers began to spread. Strange glances were directed at Raven, some even holding back laughter.
"Oh my god, this guy is getting weirder."
"So pretentious. Acting like a hero."
"He's crazy, right?"
"Wow, this is so dramatic, hahaha!"
Small laughs could be heard. Some faces held back cynical smiles.
The sound of small laughter could be heard. Raven's friends, who were standing not far away, could only hold back. Karin clenched her fists, her face tense, Kyle glared at Kevin with a sharp, angry look, while Lisa just snorted, her eyes sweeping over the people who were starting to gossip. Hana... just stared at Raven, her face full of concern. Her heart wondered, what exactly did she see?
The next second, the world seemed to stop.
A shrill scream pierced the air.
"AAAAAAHHHH!!!"
All heads turned toward the fog. A female student pointed with a trembling hand, her face pale.
"H-HE...!!! HE'S DEAD!!!"
Everyone's gaze followed her pointing finger. And they saw it.
The driver's body was slumped over, impaled on a large spear that pierced his chest. The tip of the spear was black, glistening wet with blood that flowed profusely, dripping onto the green grass that had felt peaceful just a few minutes ago.
There was a moment of silence, then chaos erupted.
"AAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!" Screams echoed, all the students ran around aimlessly, their faces pale, their eyes wide. Some fell, bumping into each other. Panic consumed everything.
"EVERYONE BACK!!!" Raven's voice boomed, this time full of anger and determination. His gaze pierced the fog, toward something others couldn't see.
The counselors snapped out of their stupor.
"Back to the bus! Quickly!" William shouted, his voice hoarse with fear. They tried to push the students back toward the vehicles, but the panic had become a storm.
No one noticed that behind the thickening fog, other shadows began to move. Heavy footsteps. Rough breathing. The figures started moving toward Raven's group.
This wasn't just an accident.
This was the beginning of a nightmare.